Title in the Language of the Record

Österreich, Wien, Meldezettel, 1850-1898

Record Description

This Collection will include records from 1850 to 1896

The cards include name, birth date and place, marital status, old and new places of residence, dates of arrival and departure. Occasionally the name of spouse and children are listed. Most records range from 1890 to 1925. Many people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Eastern Europe passed through Vienna and are included on these cards. All the forms are in German and the majority of the names are in German. However, because Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire some names are written in the languages of the Empire. The records were in a generally good state of preservation at the time that they were microfilmed from 1981-1995. This collection contains 3.8 million hand written entries recorded on pre-printed cards.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

The registration of Vienna residents began in the middle of the 15th century. The city was divided into 8 districts around 1850. Between 1850 and 1904 these 8 were subdivided and supplemented bringing the number of districts to 21. The Zentralmeldeamt (central registration office) was created in 1889 and associated with the Vienna police department. The cards cover most of the population of Vienna.

These cards represent residence registrations from 1890 until 1928, with most cards dating between 1910 and 1925. Although the registrations took place during this range, the birth dates recorded in the registrations can date back several previous decades.

The registration of Vienna residents began in the middle of the 15th century. The city was divided into 8 districts around 1850. Between 1850 and 1904 these 8 were subdivided and supplemented bringing the number of districts to 21. The Zentralmeldeamt (central registration office) was created in 1889 and associated with the Vienna police department. The cards cover most of the population of Vienna.

This type of registration informed the government of who was in the city of Vienna and where they resided within the city.

These are generally very reliable records, being information directly reported by residents about themselves and their families.

Citation for This Collection

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

How to Use the Records

Use the date and place of birth or marriage to locate christening or marriage records in church records.

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Known Issues for this Collection

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